The 2009 ESPN Fantasy All-Pro Team
With the Yankees finally taking care of the Phillies and capping the inaugural season in their new stadium with a brand-new championship banner, the 2009 baseball season officially reaches an end. But before we here at ESPN.com pop the champagne and clean out our lockers for the winter, we thought we'd take one final look back and award our All-Pro honors to those deserving individuals who had the most fantasy impact this season.
We're not talking about "value" picks, mind you, although certainly some of the players who made our list were had for a song back on draft day. We're simply recognizing those players who put up the cumulative stats that merit their inclusion in the following list of the "best of the best" of 2009 as determined by our ESPN Player Rater.
So behold! The paragon of fantasy lineups from this just-completed season shapes up as follows …
Catcher
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (Average Draft Position: 94.0)
Many people shied away from selecting Mauer because of a back injury that would keep him out of action for all of April, but those who were willing to show patience were rewarded mightily. Mauer returned to action with a vengeance, becoming the first catcher ever to lead his league in batting average (.365) and set career highs in home runs (28) and RBIs (96) to boot.
First Base
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (ADP: 2.1)
Pujols came as close as any player in recent history to capturing the Triple Crown, leading the league with 47 home runs, with 135 RBIs (good enough for third place overall) and a .327 batting average. He also led the majors in runs scored with 124 and stole 16 bases, making him a true five-category monster.
Third Base
Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks (ADP: 218.9)
In just his third season in the majors, Reynolds struck out an NL-high 223 times. That just makes the .260 batting average all the more impressive, as the slugger hit a home run every 13.1 at-bats, 44 in all, to go along with 102 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. It was a power-speed combination that was unrivaled by any of his peers.
Corner infielder
Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (ADP: 26.9)
Fielder was steady as they come, the only player in the league to see the field in all 162 games. He became the first Brewers player ever to register three straight 30-home run, 100-RBI seasons and not only tied for the major league in RBIs with 141, but also walked 110 times, another team record and a boon for leagues that use OBP instead of average.
Second baseman
Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP: 14.5)
The four-time All-Star actually had a down year by his standards, but still it's hard to argue with 31 home runs and 93 RBIs, especially when it comes along with 23 stolen bases. Utley also played in 156 games, no small accomplishment considering he led the NL in getting hit by pitches for the third straight season.
Shortstop
Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins (ADP: 1.9)
Career highs in batting average (.342) and RBIs (106) more than compensated for the slight dropoff in power and speed. Ramirez's 27 stolen bases weren't bad by any means, even if his owners may have been expecting double that output, but considering he battled groin issues on-and-off all season, how can you really complain?
Middle infielder
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (ADP: 53.4)
At 35 years of age, many fantasy owners were fearful that the Yankees' captain was about to set sail for the bottom of the sea. As if! Jeter stole 30 bases for only the second time in seven seasons and finished third in the American League with a .334 batting average. On top of that, his OPS was .871, the second-highest season for Jeter this decade.
Outfield
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (ADP: 37.8)
Sure, his stolen-base splits may give the illusion of disappointment. After 44 steals before the All-Star break, Crawford swiped only 16 more the rest of the way, but it was still good enough for his best full-season total ever. Isn't that what you drafted him for? Well, you got it, and a .305 average and 15 home runs as well.
Outfield
Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox (ADP: 70.3)
Ellsbury was basically a one-category specialist, but since that category was stolen bases, and he managed to record 70 of them, he pretty much single-handedly could win you the category. That's priceless. Plus, with 60 RBIs, 94 runs scored and a .301 batting average, he didn't exactly kill you in other areas like other speedsters. (Yes, Michael Bourn, we're talking about you.)
Outfield
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers (ADP: 8.0)
No National Leaguer had more hits (203) than Braun. He finished fourth in both home runs and RBIs, and added a career-high 20 stolen bases. It's a shame we couldn't count his .381 batting average in the World Baseball Classic back in March toward his totals to pad his impressive totals even further.
Outfield
Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers (ADP: 36.7)
We're not sure what impressed us more about Kemp's season. Was it his ability to drive in runs, 101 in all? Was it his stellar speed, as evidenced by his 34 steals and seven triples? Was it the 97 runs scored? Or was it the fact that he was able to put up these numbers in the wake of Manny Ramirez's suspension and an exile to the bottom third of the Dodgers' lineup?
Outfield
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (ADP: 27.1)
You know Ichiro can hit, so the .352 average came as no real surprise. The double-digit home run total, however, was a very welcome treat. Add 31 doubles to the mix, his highest output since he was a MLB rookie back in 2001, and suddenly the Mariners' outfielder is more than just a singles-and-steals machine.
Utility spot
Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP: 16.6)
The utility spot gets awarded to the highest-rated player whose position eligibility was already taken, which means that, as the third first baseman on our All-Pro team, we can easily see what position is fully loaded. Howard hitting more than 40 round-trippers and driving in more than 140 runs? That's become par for the course for the big man. To do that while hitting just a hair under .280 and stealing eight bases? That's All-Pro.
Starting pitcher
Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (ADP: 84.6)
He started strong and never looked back; Greinke didn't allow his first earned runs of the season until April 29, his fifth start, and won his first six in a row. He did not allow a home run in the first two months of the season. He had the best ERA in the American League (2.16) and a K/BB ratio of 4.74. With six complete games, three shutouts and a league-best WHIP of 1.07, it's hard to understand how he didn't have a better record than 16-8 ... until you remember that he pitches for Kansas City, that is.
Starting pitcher
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants (ADP: 15.1)
He led the National League in strikeouts with 261 and complete games with four. His WHIP was a meager 1.05, and his ERA of 2.48 was good enough for second in the NL. If not for the 11 games in which his lineup was unable to score more than two runs, he might well have won 20 games. That said, 15-7 isn't exactly horrible … just mildly disappointing.
Starting pitcher
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (ADP: 61.1)
Thanks to an amazing late-season streak in which he won seven of his final eight starts, no pitcher won more games in 2009 than King Felix, who finished 19-5. He allowed fewer hits per nine innings than any other American League arm. With 217 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA, Hernandez won 10 more games this season than last and rose right back up into the fantasy elite and All-Pro status
Starting pitcher
Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves (ADP: 147.9)
In his 12th major league season, Vazquez wasn't the best in any particular pitching category but was solid in all of them. He's the perfect example of "slow and steady wins the race." His 15-10 record seems average, but 15 wins was good enough for fourth-best in the National League. His 2.87 ERA? Sixth. His 1.03 WHIP? Third. Throw in a 9.76 K/9 ratio and you've got a pitcher whose whole season was far better than the sum of its parts.
Starting pitcher
Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks (ADP: 45.7)
Many fantasy owners fear the "second-half swoon" from Haren. Even with a 5-5 record and a 4.62 ERA after the All-Star beak, Haren kept his WHIP down all year long, at a league-leading 1.00. He struck out a career-high 223 hitters and while he won only 14 games, the Diamondbacks scored only 11 runs in his last six losses of the season. That blame hardly hangs on Haren.
Starting Pitcher
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals (ADP: 159.3)
Throw out a shaky four-start stretch in June, and Carpenter was 16-1 on the season. It rarely gets better than that, and Carpenter used no smoke and mirrors to have an outstanding 2009. With his league-best 2.24 ERA and a WHIP of 1.01, after he essentially missed two whole seasons because of injury, we can forgive the lack of strikeouts. We're just happy to have him back.
Relief pitcher
Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins (ADP: 63.5)
Relievers are called on to save games. End of discussion. With 47 of them, second-best in the AL, Nathan did his job, especially when it counted in September and October as he nailed down 12 saves to help the Twins to the playoffs and his fantasy owners in their own stretch run. With a K/9 rate of 11.7, an ERA of 2.10 and a WHIP of 0.93, Nathan did little to hurt you in the other categories. In fact, he actually helped more than most relievers did.
Relief pitcher
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers (ADP: 101.4)
Broxton had more problems than most closers do in 2009, blowing six of his 42 save opportunities. However, the reason he still ends up being ranked so highly is the seven wins, only one fewer than starters Clayton Kershaw and Hiroki Kuroda managed for this playoff team. Sure, he was far from perfect, but his 13.5 K/9 rate and WHIP of 0.96 certainly helps ameliorate any damage his 2.61 ERA may have caused.
Relief pitcher
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (ADP: 63.4)
As long as Rivera continues to post more saves than years he's been alive (44 to 39 this season) he will remain at the upper end of the closer ratings. Rivera maintained a 1.76 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP, and he notched his second straight season of a 9.8 K/9 ratio, his best two seasons in that category since he was 26 years old. Rivera's value is timeless.
AJ Mass is a fantasy baseball, football and college basketball analyst for ESPN.com. You can follow AJ on Twitter or e-mail him here.
